Yes, your brand can be transformative
I have heard all the rationales from organizations of all types:
We sell a commodity.
It’s just insurance. It’s not revolutionary.
Our customers look at our service as a necessary evil.
These are the stories they tell themselves. Rationales for why becoming something extraordinary is out of their reach.
I chose these three particular excuses because I worked with organizations that could have said the very same things. But each chose to believe that it had a larger calling. Each believed it could make a difference in a life, a community, or even the world. Each believed it could have a Big Audacious Meaning.
Stop making excuses
It's easy to tell ourselves that we don't have the kind of organization that can be transformative. Or we operate in an industry that just isn't suited for it. Like insurance. Yet, what if Lemonade had used that excuse? We would never have such a revolutionary approach to insurance that, rather than pocketing all the money that didn't go to claims at the end of the year, sent over $2,000,000 to causes chosen by its customers. Lemonade's mission: transform insurance from a necessary evil into a social good.
Here are a couple of other examples:
Dove is just a soap manufacturer. Yet the organization understood there was much more it could do. More than just providing a quality product. It understood it could address unhealthy standards that the beauty industry perpetuated. In doing so, the brand realized it could have a hand in supporting the confidence and self-esteem of those it hoped to serve.
Patagonia is an outdoor outfitter. And a small one at that when compared with the resources of some of the behemoths in the sportswear industry. Yet, its purpose is outsized compared to all the industry giants – "We're in business to save our home planet." Patagonia makes good on that audacious mission with deeds and funds.
It would have been easy for any of these organizations to simply focus on selling more stuff. And they probably would have done fine. But they made a decision to pursue something beyond profit. You could say that they took a risk. But in hindsight, it really was no risk at all when you examine how the market has responded to and rewarded these organizations for embracing a purpose.
The most extraordinary thing is that this kind of impact and success is available to every organization. There is nothing holding your brand back from being transformative. Except for that excuse you keep giving yourself.